 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi, a mate is looking at buying a chalet in Chatel (new build),
He has not followed property prices in the PDS, and is wondering whether Chatel is undervalued/fair valued?
What would you advise to look for, and where would you rather buy?
He is looking to use sporadically in the summer and winter.
Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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There are a lot of new builds in Chatel going up in Chatel at present. It looks like the secret is out.
Chatel has been one of the cheaper resorts per m2 on the French side of the PdS. When I bought in 2012, the average price was around e4k/m2 with Morzine at the same time at about 50% higher. The market has been pretty flat since then, but recently there have been lots of new builds, probably at much higher prices, which would be justified if the property is nice and/or well situated.
Things to look for...
- Proximity to lifts, obviously, but the new Super Chatel-Linga link has meant that closeness to Vonnes or village centre are now the best places to buy. Linga used to be prized because of it's closeness to the lifts which take you towards Avoriaz, but with the new link, this advantage seems to have eroded. Vonnes and village centre are pretty close together.
- Exposure to sunshine. Chatel is partly shadowed in winter by Mont de Grange. Higher up the hill, i.e. above the village or level with it, means you get more sun. However, there are new builds just below the village, which give enough sun and and very quiet, rural view.
- Valley views. Chatel is on curve of Vallee d'Abondance, which means that, in the right place, you can get 180 degree views of the entire valley. It also helps if you can see the peak of Mont de Grange, but you can't do this from lower down in the valley.
- Following on from the above, if the view is unbroken, I reckon a west-facing aspect is best, as you can then see the whole valley.
- Make sure that someone can't build on the land in front of your view, or if they do, that you can see over the top of them!
- Ski in/out, which is very rare in a traditional village like Chatel. However, there are a couple of new builds which are close to or in the village, lifts and are ski in/out.
Disclaimer - I have no connection with any real estate development agencies.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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The new lift gives a better connection to PDS, but I would go for the Linga Area. Not so nice view but fast to enter the skiarea to Avoriaz and further.
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Very helpful
Would the property attract much rental income in the summer?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Spyglass wrote: |
Very helpful
Would the property attract much rental income in the summer? |
Possibly depending on location and if it was attractive to MTBers
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| Spyglass wrote: |
Very helpful
Would the property attract much rental income in the summer? |
The only person that will answer that question with any conviction (but without much integrity), is the estate agent selling you the place. The correct, honest answer is, "It depends...".
It depends on what sort of place it is - high end or budget etc.; it's location, how well it's marketed and what price you expect. It also depends on Chatel's changing availability of accommodation. With all the new builds, there is likely going to be a further oversupply of accommodation in summer, managed by companies willing and able to dump inventory on the market at knock down prices. There is already a massive oversupply of accommodation in summer, which is normal for a ski resort. On the other side of the coin, as the new builds promote Chatel, there is likely to be increased demand in the winter season through increased marketing by the big developers.
Which brings me to the question, why do you ask only about summer bookings?
When I bought my place, I was told to expect between 8 and 12 weeks of bookings all year, not just summer and to expect to make a loss on costs vs revenue. Thankfully, I get a much higher occupancy than that and my place turns a slight profit on capital and running costs. However, my place is of its kind. It's a "cosy" 2 bedroom apartment. I would describe it as decent standard of accommodation at the budget end. It's situated in the village centre and has everything you need - e.gs good location, nice view from the balcony, decent quality linen, a big TV with Netflix, Spotify premium, a big library of recent Hollywood movies; a fully equipped kitchen with proper sharp knives etc. When you stay at my place you're going to be able to walk to the lifts in the morning and amble home from the village bars or restaurants in the evening. If you don't go out you're able to cook yourself a decent dinner with produce bought locally, relax in front of a movie or TV series in your language and sleep comfortably. I live close and manage everything independently, which cuts out the agencies' 20%. I quite enjoy offering like-minded people a decent holiday at a reasonable price and as such I treat marketing and operating my place as a hobby. Hence, my time is not costed into the equation.
I mention all this only partly out of self-promotion. Whilst my place does ok financially, it could be a completely different situation if your friend is buying a 6 bedroom luxury chalet with a helipad on the outskirts of Chatel aiming for the Val d'Isere market. MTBers for example, seem to like simple accommodation close to the village centre. Brits tend to eat out and go to bars. French tend to self-cater. My clientele is 50% French, 40% Brit, 10% Dutch.
In summary, your friend really needs to find someone with a similar place in a similar location, with similar aims regarding how often it's rented and similar resources on how it's managed, and to ask them. They should also read the numerous threads in the Chalets and Apartments section of this website on property ownership and see what other people say. To save you the time, the general conclusion there seems to be, " if you want a ski property, don't consider it an investment on a financial level. If you want an investment, buy a one bedroom flat in St Albans, but don't expect to spend your holidays there."
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Thu 29-10-15 13:12; edited 4 times in total
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Thanks again for the insight.
I think owning a holiday property is a very romanticised view, and u have summed It all up very well.
This should not be an investment but rather something that u would be prepared to lose money on and enjoy as an escape valve from London.
Incidentally I also concluded by telling him to buy a 1 bed flat in north west London!
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Indeed, many describe buying a ski property as a vanity purchase. This may be true for some, but what is probably more likely is that it's an investment in lifestyle, something that your kids will remember all their lives and/or a feeling of being at home whilst on holiday (or vice versa). Financially, the aims are compromised and the result you'll get financially will not be as good as other, hard-nosed investments.
However, all that said, if you accept the compromise between the above, Chatel seems to be a very good place to make this compromise. It has always been a secret for many reasons, some of which I'll list...
- Everyone says buy high due to global warming and the whole of the PdS is low relative to e.g. Espace Killy and places further from GVA. However, because the PdS is on the leading NW edge of the Alps, it has a very good snowfall record.
- Chatel, whilst pretty and swiss-styled, appears to be at the unglamorous end of the PdS, away from the Brit-popular Morzine. However, when you ski here, the skiing is great, scenic, with varying terrain and it benefits being at the quiet end.
- Chatel village is at 1200m, whereas Avoriaz is at 1800m and hence offers much higher skiing, right? Wrong. The skiing at both places is at broadly the same height, the highest lift at Avoriaz being only 123m higher than that of Chatel. By the way, I really like Avoriaz and I love skiing there when it's not busy.
- Chatel was always criticised as being the break in the PdS loop, the bit where you had to get a bus to cross. This never made any difference for those staying in Chatel and now has been fixed for those passing through with the new lift link.
- On the map, it seems a long way from GVA airport, relative to Morzine. However, in terms of travel time, it's the same and much quicker on busy changeover weekends, due to the Swiss motorway option, which avoids the usual congestion points.
Since a few years, there's a new mayor in Chatel. He gets things done. Against much resistance from locals whose interests were often conflicted, he forced through the building of a very nice aqua centre (swimming pool, to me and you) that feels more like a private club than a public facility. After 40 years of discussing the link between Super Chatel and Linga, it was completed within a couple of years under the new mayor. I've heard rumours that the Mayor's next goal is a Michelin-starred restaurant, which may or may not be true or feasible. Nonetheless, all this has brought a lot of publicity, interest and new investment. It really seems like the secret is out.
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Interesting, @snoozeboy, and I agree with your assessment - not of Chatel, which I skied through once or twice 20 years ago, but the business of owning a holiday home in a ski resort. I don't rent mine (lend to family for £150 at times like half term when I make myself scarce).
Changes in the exchange rate can make a nonsense of conventional cost/benefit calculations. I bought my apartment at €1.62 to £1 for €112K. Friends bought an identical one about 6 years ago for €176K when the euro was very strong against the pound so our long term financial gains/losses are likely to very different.
I like to feel at home instantly when I walk through the door, with lots of personal stuff. Some people would call it clutter...
I do some cleaning and trouble shooting for friends with the same apartments but "stripped down " for renting. they only occupy them themselves for 4 weeks or so a year. I am in mine around 4 months a year.
I have let property in the UK. Sometimes our own house when I've worked abroad. Once a "buy to let" ex council house. There again, with no exchange rate complications the overall return depends critically on selling price and how long the place stands empty before it sells - some months in that case, in a flat market.
Clarifying your objectives before buying is crucial.
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@Spyglass, And if you get tiered off making food in a small apartment remember there is always the nice smål restaurant and chalet between Linga and the Village:
Le Renard (The fox). (I try to put a link - and hope not it is seen as wrong on this site)
http://www.renardhotel.com/
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@snoozeboy, the greatest investment you made was buying the we domain "chatelaccommodation.com". The value of this would probably make you more money than quite a number of years of rental profit. Also I would guess that you probably fill your apartment more than average because of the website, the domain, the images and the layout are very good and clear.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@AthersT, thanks for your kind comments about my website. Out of interest, I also bought...
- chatellocation.com and chatellogement.com for the french market
- chatel.apartments
- ski.apartments
- skiportesdusoleil.com
Not sure if they'll turn out to be investments, but the outlay and upkeep are pretty low.
Most of the bookings for my place come via listings sites, such as Airbnb and Holiday Lettings. These sites seem to be in a much stronger position today vis-a-vis personal websites, compared with only 3 years ago.
SB
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@snoozeboy, skiportesdusoleil.com should be a good investment too. I can't comment on the french ones but I would say you have done pretty well there. 
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You know it makes sense.
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@snoozeboy, being on the spot and "hands on" is a huge advantage, too, along with your readiness to put the time in. IME some UK owners try to do without anybody on the spot and are reluctant to fork out for management.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@snoozeboy, what, who or where is a "MTBers"
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Poster: A snowHead
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@johnE, Mountain Bikers
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Ever more crucial to the summer season in alpine resorts. In our area there are more runs every year, lifts opening to facilitate long tours etc. And the doctors don't do badly either
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Ah! what is advertised in Les Arcs as VTT. And yes getting more and more popular. It still strikes me as odd getting into the funicular in Bourg st Maurice and sharing the compartment with bicycles and their riders, whilst I am off skiing
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@snoozeboy, Fantastic summary about ownership (I had a small studio in La Grande Terche a few years ago but never got any rentals there so although loved the place couldn't justify the yearly costs of keeping it at the time), also a great advert for your apartment - I've never been to Chatel so i'm now looking for flights for March and may well be in touch - do you just do Sat-Sat rentals and what's Chatel like for beginners/non skiers as we have a friend who wants to come with us on our next ski holiday but i'm not sure if we'll be able to persuade her to ski or not.
Sorry for going off topic - but how expensive is Chatel to eat and drink (as in bar prices/restaurants) as we would probably want to eat out more than self cater.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Hello @Atomic_Mick, my place usually sells out during the ski season, so I try to stick with Sat-Sat rentals.
Regarding Chatel for beginners and non-skiers...
For beginners, I'd say it's pretty good. At the top of Super Chatel gondola there's a reasonable sized beginners area, with nursery slopes and a few gentle slopes for progression. You need to be careful however, because ESF do lessons there and at Pre la Joux at different times of the year. At Pre la Joux you have something similar, but at the bottom of the lifts so you don't need a lift pass for the nursery slope. There's also a magic carpet there, alongside the nursery slope and a restaurant with a big terrace. Plaine Dranse, above Pre la Joux, is a very good meeting point with many restaurants and beginners/pedestrian access up and down, via a chair. There's a very long green run, Belette which is 3km long, between Plaine Dranse and Pre la Joux. If you search my recent posts on here, I describe it in depth somewhere. I only have experience of where ESF teach. Sarah may be able to help with other ski school options at the Linga area.
For non-skiers, I wonder how any ski resorts ever keep them occupied in-resort. I really don't get it. To me, even the "best" ski resorts, such as erm... Crans Montana, Val d'Isere etc. only seem to offer spa options and the sort of shops you find nowadays in any airport or high street. At Chatel, as I mentioned in a previous post, you have a very nice public spa/swimming pool and the usual non-ski pursuits of snowshoeing, parapente etc. There are a couple of working farms in the village, where you can buy Abondance cheese from the door. It's a picturesque village, but the shops sell mountain equipment and fleeces, not Prada and Miu Miu. If you have a car, Lac Leman and Evian are 40mins down a beautiful valley, Montreux is 45mins, Lausanne a little more than an hour. Within 45 mins you can also visit the very small vineyards of Valais and the protected Unesco area of Lavaux. The wine at Lavaux is interesting yet average, but the setting on steeply terraced vineyards under blue skies over a green lake with the white peaks of the Vaudoise and Savoyarde Alps all around is unforgettable. The vineyards are almost all small, family-run independents who will be happy to offer you a tasting if you call ahead. This is Switzerland's big secret. Ssshhh!
Chatel in terms of pricing is similar to any unsung French ski resort and is similarly priced to Morzine, Avoriaz and Les Gets. It's not a cheap as down in the valley somewhere, but neither is it a rip-off like the more commercial French ski resorts either. A lot depends on how the GBP and the EUR are fairing at the time.
Apologies about the shameless self-promotion in an my earlier post. The point I wanted to make is that if you can be in the best 10% of any particular market sector, you will get bookings in summer and winter. However, different market sectors, whether budget, high end or in between have different levels of competition to achieve that 10% and different levels of activity within them.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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The "non skier" thing always puzzles me. People ask for recommendations without giving any hint of what the folk concerned like to do.
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@pam w, well I kind of know that there is unlikely to be lots of things for a non-skier to do in most ski resorts - but some are better than others - somewhere like Flaine in terms of amenities I wouldn't want to spend time as a pedestrian - but the other thing to consider is some resorts lend themselves better to meeting up for lunch and coffee with skiers in your party - so whilst Tignes might not be as pretty and have the appeal of Zermatt in some ways i'd say it's more convenient for meeting up- I guess a lot of non-skiers tend to be happy to have a potter around - read a book, people watch and drink lots of coffee and eat cake 
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| pam w wrote: |
Interesting, @snoozeboy, and I agree with your assessment - not of Chatel, which I skied through once or twice 20 years ago, but the business of owning a holiday home in a ski resort. I don't rent mine (lend to family for £150 at times like half term when I make myself scarce).
Changes in the exchange rate can make a nonsense of conventional cost/benefit calculations. I bought my apartment at €1.62 to £1 for €112K. Friends bought an identical one about 6 years ago for €176K when the euro was very strong against the pound so our long term financial gains/losses are likely to very different.
I like to feel at home instantly when I walk through the door, with lots of personal stuff. Some people would call it clutter...
I do some cleaning and trouble shooting for friends with the same apartments but "stripped down " for renting. they only occupy them themselves for 4 weeks or so a year. I am in mine around 4 months a year.
I have let property in the UK. Sometimes our own house when I've worked abroad. Once a "buy to let" ex council house. There again, with no exchange rate complications the overall return depends critically on selling price and how long the place stands empty before it sells - some months in that case, in a flat market.
Clarifying your objectives before buying is crucial. |
This is bang on advice. A ski property might not be as good an investment as something designed to maximise returns so it is an emotional purchase rather than a business decision.
Having said that I rent mine out, and have done for a few years, and it covers basic costs and maybe a bit more. It certainly wouldn't cover the repayment of money if borrowed to purchase it. I hope to be able to not rent it out at all in a couple of years.
As Pam says, having a home from home somewhere is a big bonus for us and our kids now.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Re meeting points, I think that Chatel is now much better since the new link. It means that there are now two, major meeting points at Super Chatel and Plaine Dranse and both are accessible to pedestrians.
It never really occured to me, before writing my earlier post, I but I think that Chatel could be great for non-skiers with a car, because there are some wonderful places in the surrounding area. The wine-tasting thing, I mentioned before, on a sunny terrace, overlooking the lake. You won't find that anywhere else. Plus the wines of the nearby Valais are among those most prized in Switz.
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Great info once again @snoozeboy, I really like the fact that you love to promote the place where you live so enthusiastically (you should get the tourist office to pay you commission  ) - it's definitely got me interested in giving Chatel a visit at some point.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@dfhage, it's certainly very central if it's where I think it is, just down from the Super-Chatel bubble station.
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You know it makes sense.
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It's a very good location, village centre, probably about 200m from Super Chatel lift, as per the description and with pretty good sun exposure. Price seems reasonable at 5.5k/m2.
It's the old Golden Lion building. Need to check...
- if the quoted 340k is for a front-facing apartment and one of the ones with big windows in the wooden clad part of the building. The building also has an older part with smaller windows. It wouldnt surprise me if the apartments with the big windows were higher prices and 340k is a "from 340k".
- need to check the view is decent, but probably is as the village square is in front. Apartments higher in the building will have better views.
- I don't see any terraces or balconies. At that price, would prefer to have a balcony and you can find other developments in equally good locations with balconies.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Thanks @snoozeboy, very helpful, I like Châtel, but it's probably out of my reach at the moment, but that location looked good. I might check it out next time I'm in Morzine. It looked like to me a refurbishment / change to an existing building ?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Yes it's the old Lion d'Or hotel.
If these kinds of places are too expensive, you can buy existing builds for much cheaper. The new builds tend to be roomier and pricier, with bigger balconies. However, you can probably still pick up a well-located existing build in Chatel for e4k/m2. The market has been pretty flat the last few years.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| snoozeboy wrote: |
- I don't see any terraces or balconies. At that price, would prefer to have a balcony and you can find other developments in equally good locations with balconies. |
The rooms in the wooden-clad part appear to have balconies. If you look closely, there's (a graphic of) someone standing on one of them.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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In that case I would check...
- that the balcony is big enough for a table and chairs, otherwise it's pretty useless
- that you get a balcony for e340k. New build promoters are notorious for quoting a price for the crappiest N facing apartment in the building.
- also check what you get for your money. Lots of new builds quote for a very standard level of finish and then you pay the extra for better fittings, nicer tiles etc. This can add around 10pc to the purchase price.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Lion d'Or development is a great location!
But there's another new one on the Roitet too which is maybe better and only slightly less central.
Agree about getting everything agreed with the developer. My friends are currently sweating over this 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Quote: |
here are a lot of new builds in Chatel going up in Chatel at present. It looks like the secret is out.
Chatel has been one of the cheaper resorts per m2 on the French side of the PdS. When I bought in 2012, the average price was around e4k/m2 with Morzine at the same time at about 50% higher. The market has been pretty flat since then, but recently there have been lots of new builds, probably at much higher prices, which would be justified if the property is nice and/or well situated.
Things to look for...
- Proximity to lifts, obviously, but the new Super Chatel-Linga link has meant that closeness to Vonnes or village centre are now the best places to buy. Linga used to be prized because of it's closeness to the lifts which take you towards Avoriaz, but with the new link, this advantage seems to have eroded. Vonnes and village centre are pretty close together.
- Exposure to sunshine. Chatel is partly shadowed in winter by Mont de Grange. Higher up the hill, i.e. above the village or level with it, means you get more sun. However, there are new builds just below the village, which give enough sun and and very quiet, rural view.
- Valley views. Chatel is on curve of Vallee d'Abondance, which means that, in the right place, you can get 180 degree views of the entire valley. It also helps if you can see the peak of Mont de Grange, but you can't do this from lower down in the valley.
- Following on from the above, if the view is unbroken, I reckon a west-facing aspect is best, as you can then see the whole valley.
- Make sure that someone can't build on the land in front of your view, or if they do, that you can see over the top of them!
- Ski in/out, which is very rare in a traditional village like Chatel. However, there are a couple of new builds which are close to or in the village, lifts and are ski in/out.
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I think this is great advice - anyone interested in Chatel should pay heed to this. The missus and I bought on a near whim almost 2 years ago (and finally we get the keys on Dec 4!) in the MGM Chalets D'Angele complex. This is one of the developments just below the village centre (about a 5 min walk up Route de la Bechigne) and whilst it's served by frequent bus services in the winter it would have been great to have had an easy walk to the lifts. In the summer it's fine as rather enjoy the walk up the road to the bars and restaurants to catalyse the appetite! We're lucky with the views and with a dual-aspect we look out over Mont de Grange and down the Abondance valley. From the balcony (decent size at >20sq m) we can see the whole valley and gets plenty of sun in the summer - although not so sure about the winter months! In hindsight would have preferred to be higher up the hill to maximise the views.
One factor that went into our decision making were the facilities within the complex. For the Chalets D'Angele, it has a great leisure facility with gym, couple of swimming pools, sauna and hammam. The name of the builder also played a part - rightly or wrongly, from everything we had read and people we spoke to, we had associated MGM with being a trustworthy developer of quality apartments and that swung it for us. We're probably paying a premium as a result, in both price and possibly location that could have been better... but it's been reassuring to see quality tradesmen at work and to have english speaking people to liaise with. We've made several spot visits to the site and been very happy with the quality of the build. Plus we had the advantage of staying a couple of times in the leaseback apartments at the development and those have held up very well since being built. Will have to see how happy we remain once we get the keys in Dec As a price point, we paid about €5.8K / sq m or €4.3K / sq m including balcony.
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We are considering buying an off-plan apartment in Chatel and would like some local advice regarding its location. The development is located at the very top of the Route du Boude, just below the solitary pine tree on the sometimes snowy slope below Super Chatel. We intend to use during UK half-term, summer (keen road cyclist) and the odd long weekend and will rent out when not using to recoup some costs. Would very much appreciate your thoughts on the following as our preference is not to get around by car when we arrive in Chatel:
- Is the slope normally skiiable in February to ski back to the apartment and is it possible to traverse across and access the bottom of the Super Chatel slope at the start of the day.
- How long is the walk along the road to the SC lift and is the snow cleared along the paths in winter
- Are there any shortcuts, pedestrian stairs to shorten the walk to the village
- Does the ski shop adjacent to the SC lift have ski minding
- How long would it take to ski to Pre La Joux using new lifts vs using the bus network
We are also looking at another property in walking distance to the lift at Petit Chatel - is this a viable and reliable location for accessing the slopes and how much time does it add to the transit time to Pre La Joux.
Any advice from locals much appreciated.
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We are keen MTBers and stay in PDS in summer (ski there in winter). Chatel is becoming a more popular place to stay for MTBers in summer now, our friends prefer it to morzine.
To attract the mtb market your Apartment will need bike storage (garage?), and they prefer to be close to the bike park (or ride on a flat road to get there, any incline is a pain on a downhill bike).
Chatel also seems to be popular with the Dutch (I am Dutch), who like summer mountain holidays, so perhaps you'll get some walkers. Maybe also some road cyclists?
Good luck!
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Hello, I'm going to bump this thread so that the other Chatelois can reply with more authority. I don't know that part of the village very well, so my answers below are not that reliable. DJL or Sarah will have a better idea. I think I know the development you are talking about, but I can't remember the name of it.
- Is the slope normally skiiable in February to ski back to the apartment and is it possible to traverse across and access the bottom of the Super Chatel slope at the start of the day.
>Yes, though the lower part of that piste suffers a little due to sun exposure and traffic because it's narrow being a forestry route. To get to ski in ski out, there needs to be a short off-piste traverse, which will be crusty most of the time but possibly well worn as there are many apartments at your location. On balance, I think the developer's "ski in/out" claim is reasonable, if it's the one I'm thinking of. I also think it's in a very good location - sunny, close to the village and ski in/out, which is a very rare combination in Chatel.
- How long is the walk along the road to the SC lift and is the snow cleared along the paths in winter
>It looks about 800m according to Google Maps. Shorter to walk down the side of the piste.
- Are there any shortcuts, pedestrian stairs to shorten the walk to the village
>see above.
- Does the ski shop adjacent to the SC lift have ski minding
>don't know. Maybe call them, they'll likely speak English.
- How long would it take to ski to Pre La Joux using new lifts vs using the bus network
>DJL is your man to answer this question. Send him a PM. Why Pre La Joux? In my opinion, some of the best skiing in Chatel lies before you get there, in the area between Linga and PLJ.
We are also looking at another property in walking distance to the lift at Petit Chatel - is this a viable and reliable location for accessing the slopes and how much time does it add to the transit time to Pre La Joux.
>Message DJL. He has an apartment in Petit Chatel.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@snoozeboy - thanks for the response and look forward to hearing from the others you mentioned if they read this. The development is call Les Flambeaux. I asked about PLJ as I read somewhere that many locals drive and park there as its a good base to start from, possibly the location for the best ski schools and the gateway to the French side of the PDS if we ever wanted to go meet friends staying elsewhere. One of our criteria is car-free access to skiing and the village in the evenings.
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Oh, it's not the development I was thinking of, but it sounds like it's in a similar situation.
Regarding PLJ, you're right about most of it. Until the new link was built between Chatel and Linga, much of Chatel's ski focus has been on Linga and PLJ for the reasons you say. PLJ is on the way to Avoriaz, where everyone goes (see my previous posts on this), especially Brits staying in Morzine. The Linga-PLJ area is north-facing and has more reliable snow than Super Chatel early and late season. However, you shouldn't discount Super Chatel. In the dark months of January, it has sunnier skiing which is good, tree-lined runs and there are beautiful views over the Rhone valley and (part of) lake Geneva on the pistes towards Torgon. There are more drag lifts in SC, which many don't like, but they help to keep the crowds away, in my view.
Car-free access and proximity to the village were my two main criteria also. The new link has made the SC/PLJ choice less of an issue as Linga is only two lifts away, 3 if you count the Super Chatel gondola. It's probably quicker to get a bus, but I prefer to go there with my skis on.
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